The Vampire Diaries (Dracula): 1492
by FFiction13
Summary: Having fled Bulgaria after the massacre of her family by Klaus Mikaelson one of the Oldest Vampires in history. Katerina Petrova flees across Bulgaria's border into Romania, where she meets the one Vampire who rivals even the Originals in both power and reputation; Dracula!
1. Katerina

Katherine

1492

Deep in Romanian Lands

I had crossed the border of my homeland; Bulgaria into the neighboring Romania. Well in to my first month as a Vampire, and I have done nothing but feed and flee for my life from Elijah who's been hunting me relentlessly since escaping the sacrifice his monster of a brother; Klaus had planned to use me in. It feels strange I can no longer consider myself human, but considering the new-found power I have gained since completing the transition. The strangeness I now feel as Vampire bothers me little for what I have gained in return. Perhaps this will fade, the older and more powerful I become. But only if I can escape Elijah's hunting party! It was Trevor who had been the one to warn me of Klaus's intent. I thought it might have been Elijah, the man who to be the one to intervene given the connection that had been formed between us. I was wrong, it was Trevor's blind devotion that had allowed me to escape the clutches of the Mikaelson's. Had Trevor not been so enamored with me, I would not be here to speculate what might have been.

I had hoped to return to my family in Bulgaria, perhaps if not my papa then my mama would be filled with joy to see me back home. But that could no longer be; for upon my return I found all my family, papa, and mama…slaughtered. Klaus's rage given form by the slaughter of my family. The consequence of running from him. The Petrova bloodline wiped from the face of the world. Though that was not entirely true. Because there was still my daughter; born out of wedlock and taken from my arms at birth. I may not have been able to hold my own daughter in my arms, but it affords me some small comfort knowing she will never be endangered by the Originals. For they know nothing of her existence. And I would keep that to my grave should I ever be buried in one.

Elijah and his men were sure to have crossed the border of Bulgaria into Romania by now. It would only be a matter of time before they caught up with me. And given I have few precious hours left before the Sun rose beyond the horizon, I would need to seek shelter. Perhaps a cave in the mountains. I wonder if those are the Carpathian Mountains? Where Vlad Tepes built his great fortress to guard against invasion from the Ottoman Turks. I could perhaps seek shelter in the old ruins. While making my way through the Romanian Wilderness towards the mountains I recall a conversation I once had with Trevor, Elijah, and Klaus, about the "Impaler".

 _ **January 1492**_

 _It was by this time I had learned what Elijah, Klaus, and Trevor truly were. It was at one of Klaus's famous celebrations where we had gotten to the topic of my homeland Bulgaria, but not feeling comfortable with the topic, given the loss of my daughter and my own banishment by my father, I redirected the conversation to Bulgaria's neighbor; Romania._

 _"If we are to be discussing Romania Lady Katerina then we must speak of its greatest Legend." Trevor sipped his eighth or ninth cup of wine as he spoke. "Have you heard of the monster known as Dracula?" I was of course paying attention to Trevor speaking and his question, but I could not help but notice both Klaus and Elijah's expressions darken at mention of the name._

 _"_ _Come now Trevor there is no need to bore Katerina with legends." Elijah seemed to try to change the subject, I wonder why that is? With my curiosity now enticed I turn to Elijah._

 _"_ _I am rather intrigued by myths and fairy tales. After all I believed Vampires to be that and yet here three stand before me." My gaze goes to all of them but it ends on Elijah to who I give a soft smile. Smiling he meets my gaze for a moment, I feel myself blushing. Looking to Klaus I could see he was eying the two of us, his expression told amused but his eyes? Suspicious._

 _"Yes well…" Klaus began adding to the conversation. "I find this topic of conversation rather dull." It seems he wasn't a believer in the tale. "Dracula is a story fabricated to get unruly children to do as their told." Klaus finishes his wine. I looked to Elijah who was shaking his head, perhaps he did not agree with Klaus._

 _"_ _Come now Niklaus, as Katerina has stated, we are believed to be fiction to the unenlightened, so who are we to say it is fabrication?"Elijah ask as Klaus has the cup bearer refill his glass. I think about Elijah's question, this "Dracula" seemed intriguing, especially giving the different beliefs he seems to inspire in Lord Klaus and Lord Elijah._

 _They exchange a look, one that I cannot decipher. After a moment, Klaus motions with his head towards me. A gesture for his brother to go on with the tale._

 _"_ _Well some say Dracula is an avenging spirit, a Prince of Romania who perished in battle with the Ottomans. The Prince is believed to have returned from the grave to rid his land of the grip of the Turks." Elijah had a way of telling a story like no one I have ever met before. Klaus scoffed and shook his head. Though Elijah noticed he continued. "The hatred he bore for his enemies was so great that he would drink their blood from a golden chalice as he watched them suffer on the barbed pikes which he had his them impaled on. This made it so that their demise was not sudden and they would suffer for days before death finally claimed them."_

 _"_ _We'd get along marvelously." Klaus remarks whilst smirking._

 _Elijah ignores his brother while offering me an apologetic look. I nod in understanding and wait for him to continue._

 _"_ _He did such cruel things to protect his people. If the legend of this Vampire is to be believed; one could not fathom what such a being would be capable of." It was a question to be pondered for sure, for Elijah was not looking to me but the Lord Klaus when he spoke. A slight shake of his head, Klaus gives Elijah a smile that I cannot read._

 _"_ _Such a Vampire or any other would die at my hand brother. As cruel and formidable such as "Dracula" may be, he is still nothing compared to an Original." Klaus grasp Elijah's shoulder giving it a squeeze. "Now let's move on from this dull topic of discussion shall we?" Looks to me with a smile that more resembled a smirk. "May I have a dance Katerina?" He ask before extending his hand out towards me. I wanted to decline Lord Klaus's offer but that would be improper and bring even more shame on my family's name. I looked to Elijah, perhaps he would intervene on my behalf. But when Mt eyes fell on him, he refused to meet mine. Why? Did he not wish to continue our talk, or perhaps it is to not upset his brother? "_

 _'_ _He would rather endure my discomfort than risk the ire of his brother? Coward." I thought darkly to myself. That was the first time I ever thought ill of Elijah. I take the offered hand of Klaus who then proceeds to lead me to the dance floor. I look to Elijah who looked back on me with regret._

 **** **Present Time**

Collapsing against a tree from fatigue from my growing thirst for blood, I lean against its bark to catch a breath I did not know vampires needed. Believing I only needed a moments rest before I could go on had cost me. In an instant five blurs of motion had come out of the forest surrounding me.

'Elijah's hunting party. But where is Elijah?' I think to myself while slowly rising back to my feet.

"We finally found you." The man in front of me said as he wore a smug expression. "Lord Klaus will be very pleased to hear of your capture." Grins arrogantly. "Hell, he'll even reward us for delivering you to back to him." His laugh mocks me.

"What will we do about Lord Elijah?" Another of the men questions the one who spoke first. The leader among them looks back to the one who had just spoken.

"Lead Lord Elijah away while we take the girl north. We'll need to put considerable distance between us and the rest of the party." The leader ordered the man. I let slip a laugh at their ridiculous plan.

"You are more a foolish brute than I thought if you think Elijah will fall for your treachery like he did with Trevor." I mock them, even though I was at their mercy. The leader takes a threatening step towards me.

"We did not fucking ask for your opinion wench." He practically hisses at me. Bringing his hand up as if to strike me, I close my eyes in anticipation of the blow. It never comes, for I could hear with my heightened hearing that the others had fallen under attack. Opening my eyes, I beheld a struggle of blurs, as my captors struggled with a new group of men who began to overpower them. The man the leader had spoken to had a pike driven straight through his chest. The body slumped to the ground as his skin began to turn gray in death. The other rogue men from Elijah's hunting party met a similar fate. Turning grey in death as their hearts were pierced through or ripped from the body.

Seeing his compatriots fall at these newcomers' hands, a look of desperation came unto him. Looking to me, the man lunges. Perhaps he seeks to use me as leverage into surviving the new threat that had dispatched his men in such a short time. To exhausted from my lack of feeding, there was no time to move away from him. I did not flinch, there was no reason, before the man had gotten close enough, he had been snatched out of the air and pinned against the tree I had been leaning on earlier. Gripping my attacker by his throat with only a hand was a man in a wolf's cloak, his long black hair falling over the top back of the cloak. From where I stood I could not make out my saviors face saves for his thin mustache and short goatee.

"You-" My attacker struggled to speak through the man's grip. "Lord Klaus will see you dead for…your inter…ference!" He manages to choke out. At my attackers words, my rescuer leaned threateningly closer to him.

"Klaus? The Old One dares break his word... to me?!" My savior's voice became low and dangerous. "You shall suffer the consequence of your Lord's betrayal." My attacker's eyes go wide in terror at the man's threat. He tries to break my rescuer's grip, but cannot; this new man was just too strong for him. "Before you meet the true death, take heart. You will soon be joined In hell with the rest of your Judas's." At the last word the man dropped the brute back on his feet. Coughing, my attacker rubbed his throat at looking from the man in the wolf cloak to the dark forest over his shoulder. Making a desperate attempt to flee, he is stopped as the hand that once held him firm against the tree now swatted his head clean off of his shoulders. I watched as my attackers now truly dead body fell to the ground at my rescuers feet, while the head? The head had flown clean off Klaus's man, but it was coming… straight at me! Not knowing what else to do I ducked under the head while tripping over the dress I had worn since escaping Klaus and Elijah's clutches. I stumbled right into the arms of the man who turned fully towards me, in order to see where my captors head would land. As we stood there in each other arms, slowly our eyes met as I slowly looked up from the ground. His facial features were tight, not a trace of excess skin. His eyes… a piercing blue, like the brightest blue sky. You could get lost them if one decided to stare to long. He bore into my own brown eyes, cocking his head ever so slightly.

"I…I…" I struggle to find words to formulate to the man. I feel his hands move up to my face. Before I even knew what was happening, a sickening crack had filled my ears as my world turned black.


	2. Elijah

ELIJAH

I knew having some of Niklaus's men on the hunting party for Katerina would lead to some form of folly. But after the treachery of Trevor and his friend Rose who are both of my sire-line and aided Katerina in her escape, Nicklaus did not trust my men in capturing the doppelganger now turned vampire, thus he ordered me to bring along some of his to help in Katerina's capture. I should have caught the girl before she could even make it a hundred miles within the border between her homeland and the monster that dwelled across the border. I underestimated Katerina's ability to navigate through wilderness. Something she most likely acquired from her father long before Niklaus impaled him on his own sword. I halt my party from crossing. Not only am I bound by my word never to set foot in Romania, but Niklaus, Rebekah, Kol, and even Finn who lies daggered in a coffin cannot cross this threshold without breaking our word to the Prince who rules these lands.

But then I remember what Niklaus told me just before departing England.

 _"_ _Bring Katerina Petrova back alive by whatever means necessary brother. That little harlot has not even begun to suffer for her transgression against us!"_

'You mean her transgression against you brother.' I feel sorry for the poor girl, being born as they key to breaking the curse placed on Niklaus by our mother. I had planned to save Katerina by having her drink a magical elixir that would have revived her after the completion of the sacrifice. If only she had not run, this could have been avoided.

Now the foolish little girl is well into the territory of the Vampire we led her to believe was nothing but mere myth. And to add to my growing troubles, Klaus men had disappeared from the hunting party a few miles back from which we had come. If I had to guess where those fools absconded to, they had circled around were now currently in pursuit of Katerina across the border. Wonderful.

"What are your orders Lord Elijah? " one of my own men… Richard I believe he is name is: ask. It was a very good question considering the dilemma I find myself in. Do I break the agreement my siblings and I forged with the Voivode of Wallachia? Or do I return to Niklaus empty handed and risk being daggered like our brother Finn?

"We cross long enough to gather my brother's men and hopefully the girl." I order before blurring across the border with my incredible speed as an Original. The party struggled to not fall behind.

We crossed miles of wilderness within a few minutes. The wind whipped upon our faces but leaves no irritation to our skin. Not only were we to track Katerina now, but my brother's foolish men. Though they are not to blame, not when it is Niklaus whose orders they act under. My brother is more Nero than Augustus when it comes to diplomacy.

I come to a halt when the scent of blood clouds my sense of smell. It was close, very close. My right arm goes up, signaling the party to stop. As a vampire everything becomes heightened, our sight, hearing, taste and scent. Blood is unique by its properties to its functions, and also its scent and taste. For instance I know that the blood to which I am currently sensing belongs to a vampire, for a humans blood smells fresh it has a certain aroma to it that cannot be described. All vampire blood has a feint scent of decay to it.. If a vampire were to drink the blood of another vampire, it will satiate us but the taste of it is less than desirable to our heightened sense of smell and taste. Moving to the clearing, I am stopped as a large black bat screeches mere inches from my face as it flies by. Not giving the creature a second thought, I move to the clearing where I am greeted to a horrific site that makes even my own stomach twist in revulsion.

Before my own eyes are what were once Niklaus's men now impaled upon long pikes with metal barbs protruding through various places of their now heartless bodies. The man in the middle who was leader among them; appeared to have his head severed, then pushed back into place upon the pike after the initial impaling. It as a sight a damned soul might look upon in the most horrific bowel of the Inferno. I could hear even my men who had been Vampires for a few centuries, gasp and vomit at the sight. But that is not what held my gaze. No, that was focused on the Vampires before us, the ones who had killed Niklaus's men, and the ones who became on alert at our arrival. And there in the center, the one I hoped we would not meet this night, and Katerina unconscious in his arms; the Lord of Wallachia, Dracula!

"Ah Lord Elijah…" He smiles ignoring the circumstance of why I am here. "And here I thought these were Lord Klaus's men that intruded upon my lands." I pause to collect my own thoughts before answering.

"Forgive our intrusion Prince Dracula…" I begin trying to defuse the situation. "We've come in search of that girl you hold in your arms. My brother would greatly appreciate her return." There was no need to dance around our reasons for being here. Let's hope the Prince would see reason.

"Yes well…Perhaps Lord Klaus should have considered that before breaking his word not to set foot in Romania." Well one can only have hoped for reason to prevail. "You and the rest of your family were part of that agreement." He reminds me with an arrogant smirk. "Or have you forgotten this?" My eyes narrow at him for his accusation, even though he had a right to it.

"I have not, but it is my brother who desires the girl to be brought back. Please allow me to take the girl and perhaps we could renew our deal. She has wronged my family and must be brought back to face judgement." Niklaus's treachery often caused ramifications, and at this particular moment it was what I least needed now.

"By that you mean Klaus's judgement." I do not like where this negotiation seems to be heading. "Where this…" He looks down at Katerina with a small smile before looking back to me. "Fetching girl will be at the mercy of your brother's wrath." His eyes narrow and his face contort to express anger, I should have known better in trying to bargain with this man, not with the history between my family and the Prince.

"Tell me Elijah what caused this vision…" He is speaking of Katerina again. "To have earned such ire from Lord Klaus, that he would break his word?"

I decide to remain silent to the Prince's question for it was not for him to know why we needed Katerina, nor is it mine to give him this information. If he known it was to break the curse Mother and Father had placed on Niklaus to keep his true-self…his Were Wolf side sealed, because father saw it as an abomination…of course he had always been especially hard on Niklaus, often beating him for the most trivial of matters. Father's hate for Niklaus had always been there… he just finally had an excuse to justify it his abuse.

"Your silence gives me all I need, not to return this…Katerina to you Elijah." Dracula adjust her more for a comfortable position as he begins to turn. "Do give my displeasure to your brother at the breaking of our agreement won't you old friend?" The tone of those last two words is in mockery to me and whatever friendship we used to have.

"I cannot allow you to take the girl." I try one more time but he does not stop as his back is to me, and Dracula begins walking away. "Do not turn your back on me Vlad!" I warn before blurring to intercept him, however as I make the move to grab his shoulder from behind, The Impaler plants a kick into my stomach that sends me flying backwards. I feel a sharp branch pierce right through my back. I look down and there is a good foot of branch piercing out through my heart and chest.  
'He had planned for my interception.' I think to myself as I feel my body begin to slowly desiccate from the branch stabbing through my heart. The last which my sight falls upon is Dracula's arrogance as he smiles at me.

"My Apologies Elijah, but Katerina is now under my protection. If you, Klaus or any of your brood dare encroach on these lands again, then it shall be taken as an act of war." His expression turned from arrogant to threatening.

"Farwell Elijah." Is what I last hear from the monster as I slip into an abyss of darkness.


	3. Dracula

DRACULA

The wind on my face in the cool night air is one of the few solaces I find in this immortal existence I have lived for some decades now, having not aged since my twenty eighth year in the fourteen hundred and forty eighth year of our lord. I am regarded in German and Saxon texts as a cruel and ruthless ruler who enjoyed violent justice by Impaling thousands of men, women, and children. Which I cannot say is all lies. I did enjoy the suffering of many that were put to the Pike under my authority. When one has their emotions shut off, conscience and regret are non-existent concepts to us vampires. I fear what would have become of my country, and perhaps all of Europe had I not found a way to turn them back on. Could there have been any to stop "The Tèpès"? ( _Impaler_ ) Perhaps the Originals, but the last time we crossed paths I was more than a match for any of them. Poor Elijah was given a reminder of that when I planted him into that oak tree with such precision. He will revive…eventually. The Eldest of the Original siblings was not one for breaking his word, among the Mikaelson's Elijah is the most noble and most honorable of his family. Whoever this girl… this mirror image of the one woman, who held sway over my black, black heart, is, she's worth the Originals crossing our deal of my nation's autonomy from their reach. My castle comes into view and in a matter of moments followed closely by my patrol; we arrive at its gates.

"Prince Dracula has returned! Open the gates!" I hear one of my sentries shout to his men. Soon the gates swing open and I enter to be greeted by my second; Josèf.

"My Prince." He bows before me before falling in along by my side. The creaking of the heavy gates is once again heard as they are closed behind us. "Is that?" Josef begins but I quickly cut him off.

"This is Katerina. Find her a room." I order before placing her in Josèf's arms. "Get a Traveler to seal her in there." I enter the castle with Josèf still following me. My second is also my oldest friend, he knows me almost better than I know myself, and so Josèf knows something is amiss.

"Of course my Prince, but might I ask why?"

At his question I stop and so does he. Turning to him, I glance once more at the shade of the woman I once longed to see again, her earthly brown eyes, and fair skinned face invading many a dreams I have.

"The girl is wanted by Lord Klaus, for what? I know not. But he will be coming back for her. And I will have the answers of why." I explain to him, seeing a strand of stray hair obstructing my view of her face; I reach and slowly brush it back into place with my index finger. Looking back to Josèf who made no move in concealing his notice of my action.

"Go now my friend, her healing must have kicked in by now. It is only a matter of time before she wakes." I order before once more walking away. Josèf makes no more moves to follow.

"It shall be done my Prince." I hear him say before he blurs off to carry out my wishes. Taking my time I come to the entrance to the caverns beneath the fortress. Igniting a torch, I make my way through a part of the cavern I know all too well. Coming to another door to a cave that was guarded by two of my most trusted men; I nod to them as the left guard to my right opens the door for me.

Meeting Elijah after decades and discussing his brother had me feeling nostalgic. Entering the room with the door closed behind me to allow for privacy. I approach a perfectly preserved coffin. Approaching it, I reach and unlock its clasp's. Debating with myself for but a mere moment, I open the lid of the coffin and look upon the chained undead corpse before me. Watching his face for but a moment, its eyes which were a black abyss; opened and looked straight into my own; I smiled mockingly down at him.

"Good evening…brother."


	4. Klaus

Klaus

England, 2 Months Later

I find this party rather dull. Yet my Sister Rebekah and Brother Kol were pestering me about getting out of my foul mood after the escape of Katerina. The doppelganger who was supposed to free me of this damn curse, which my Mother had placed on me only after my true heritage, had been discovered by Father…Mikael. But that's enough reminiscing on that sore topic.  
"For God's sake smile Nik, you are making our guest rather uncomfortable with the angry aura you are giving off." Rebekah scolds as she hands me a goblet of wine. Rolling my eyes, I take a sip of the wine; it had a nice raspberry flavor to it.

"I shall be rid of my foul mood sister, when Elijah drags Katerina back here to face the punishment she deserves." I place the goblet down at the rectangular table we are sitting at with some noble acquaintances.

"Survival isn't a crime Nik.' Kol interjects as he takes the seat to my left while Rebekah was on my right. Of course he had a girl on his arm and some blood on his lips. "Besides, isn't she the doppelganger of your beloved Tatia, why on earth would want to kill that ravishing girl?" Kol's tone sounded rather taunting to my ears. I narrowed my eyes and tried to keep my true face from revealing itself as to show my younger impulsive brothers taunts had not gotten to me.

"Do not speak that girl's name to me again Kol." I warn him, my angered eyes meeting his, before taking another drink of the wine. "I was this close to being free from Mother's wretched curse. Only to have that freedom snatched by some pathetic girl who's own family did not want her. The sacrifice was to be a mercy for Katerina. Now she will suffer for centuries before I grant her death's sweet release." As I finish explaining what I planned on doing to Katerina when she is delivered back to me, the doors to the dining hall burst open. The music suddenly stops as Rebekah, Kol, and myself are on our feet ready to meet whoever it was who dared intrude on our party. Imagine my surprise, when I see a rather disheveled Elijah, despite his appearance to the contrary; standing in the doorway.  
"Brother!" I greet him as I push out the chair from my way and got to meet him. "You have returned to us." Notably absent of a certain Doppelganger. "Where is Katerina Elijah?" Raise my right brow to him patient, and calmly awaiting his answer. The look his eyes give mine is like that of a child who has failed to do the chores that were given to them.

"Perhaps now is not the time for this discussion Niklaus." He tries evading my question, most likely because of our audience and the scandal it would cause. The Lords Klaus and Elijah kidnapping a girl, it would cause quite the scandal indeed.  
"Fine then." I say before turning to our gest. "All of you get out." My tone was rather polite if I do say so myself. But when no one began to move, my eyes narrowed and I frowned. "Now!" My voice echoes throughout the hall. The power in my voice made everyone who wasn't a Mikaelson scamper for the doorway. Once they had all piled out, I focused back on Elijah.

"Now brother, where is Katerina?" I ask a second time, which is something I do not normally do for anyone save my family. His eyes go from Kol and Rebekah for a few seconds each before finally settling back on mine.

"The matter Niklaus has become quite complicated." Now I had already asked twice, and Elijah still had not answered my question; which annoyed me to the point I blurred him up against the wall, much like the night Katerina had escaped.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" I feel my eyes turn bloody and the black veins on my face protruding to become visible.  
"Nik!" Rebekah gasp, I hear her approach but is stopped by Kol who I can hear stepping in front of her. Suddenly I am shoved back by Elijah who also wore his true face.  
"I am your brother Niklaus, so do not ever dare to do that to me again." He warns as his face slowly turns back to its human façade. I let mine turn back as well. We both calm ourselves as I await his answer.

"Well?" I finally say.

"Dracula, Niklaus; She is Dracula's now."


End file.
